Playoff Races Continue To Heat Up!; Are The Celtics Done? 5.11.21
It’s another day of NBA basketball and we have a busy day with 11 games on the schedule tonight.
Denver Nuggets vs Charlotte Hornets (117-112)
Control
The Nuggets led for most of the way and while Charlotte did cut the leas to one late in the 4th, Denver held onto win thanks to a Campazzo 3 and Gordon layup. 30 for MPJ who continues to just be that secondary guy to Jokic that Denver will need in the playoffs. 30-11-6 for the Joker, the usual, and 17 for Gordon in his return to the lineup. Denver was 22/26 from the line but 17 turnovers is too much. They’ll need to limit turnovers in the playoffs.
Denver is still 4th in the West, one game behind the Clippers.
A For Effort
The Hornets kept fighting in this game but Denver had the lead for almost the entire game. The Hornets hit some 3’s to cut the lead to one in the 4th, but they couldn’t close the game, even when the Hornets have been so good in close games this year. Devonte Graham had 31 off the bench, picking up the slack for Ball who didn’t score well, but still had 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Rozier had 21 and McDaniels and Washington were solid.
The Hornets are tied with the Pacers, with the Hornets in 8th place and Indiana in 9th.
Minnesota T-Wolves vs Detroit Pistons (119-100)
It’s The Pistons
28-8-5 for Towns to go along with 3 steals. 22 for Edwards and 15-5-10 for D-Lo. The T-Wolves are 10-7 with their trio of Edwards, Towns, and D-Lo since April 5th, when D-Lo returned from knee surgery.
Detroit Pistons
Tanking.
Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics (129-121)
Big-Time
These last two games on the road in Boston were huge standings wise and Miami took care of business. The Heat shot 70% from the field in the 2nd and led at the half despite 45 combined points from Tatum, Fournier, and Walker. Jimmy Butler got poked in the eye late in the half and couldn’t play in the 2nd half. Despite that, the Heat shot 62% from the field in the 2nd half and led by 21 at one point.
6 guys were in double figures, led by 24 points and 11 rebounds off the bench from Herro who has been on fire lately. 17 for Dragic off the bench as well as these two are going to be x-factors in the playoffs. 18 for Nunn, 22 for Robinson, and 22-7-5 for Bam. Just got to hope Butler is fine and Miami clinches a playoff birth, despite everything that went on in there season.
(standings)
Season Over
With no Jaylen Brown, this roller coaster season seems to have lost steam. It’s unfortunate but this roster was flawed. Evan Fournier has been very good when healthy, but he’s only played like 10 games and not the whole season. I have doubts on weather Boston can get out of the play-in, as they have been struggling. They have the talent, but this season is likely a wash.
LA Clippers vs Toronto Raptors (115-96)
Easy
The Raptors are done for the year, this was easy. 6 guys in double figures, controlled the game, the usual.
LA has a one-game lead for 3rd in the West over Denver.
Raising The White Flag
The Raptors miss the playoffs for the first time in 8 years as they look to rebuild.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers (94-103)
Choke
The 76ers had this game in the bag. They led by 11 at the half and 16 at one point. With a win they would clinch the #1 seed in the East for the first time since Allen Iverson won MVP and Philly went to the Finals in 2001. But without Embiid the offense couldn’t sustain itself. Just 32 points in the 2nd half on 30% shooting as Indiana outscored them by 20 in the 2nd half to win. Maybe not this game.
The 76ers still have a 2 game lead for the #1 seed and they are going to get it, just a disappointing loss overall. Just got to make sure you’re healthy for the playoffs and you’re fine.
2nd Half
After getting smothered in the first half, the Indiana defense was excellent in the 2nd half, holding Philly down as their offense got some rhythm. The Pacers took a lead in the 4th and they roared back for a crucial win. 24-7-5 for Levert, triple-double for Sabonis, and 20 for McDermott led the way for Indiana as they are now tied for 8th in the East with the Hornets, even without Brogdon and Turner. The Pacers aren’t quite done yet.
Brooklyn Nets vs Chicago Bulls (115-107)
Control
The Nets led the whole way and by as many as 19 as they get back on track with their 2nd straight win. 8 guys in double-figures including the whole starting 5. James Harden might be coming back tomorrow, so the Nets are still dangerous. Getting Harden back means they can have Harden with the bench unit and it gives them an elite playmaker, the lubricator for an offense. Scary Hours indeed.
Season Over
The Bulls are 3 games out of the 10th seed. It’ll take a miracle and some more for them to make the playoffs and I don’t see that happening. Maybe next year.
Dallas Mavericks vs Memphis Grizzlies (104-133)
Finally
Yes! Dallas Lost! Finally! As a Blazers fan I never thought this was going to happen, but it happened. In the 2nd half, the Mavs shot 35% from the field and Memphis shot 66%. The Mavs offense went cold. They’re going to need Porzingis back for the playoffs in order to be at full strength.
With the loss, Dallas and Portland are tied in the standings. Portland won the season series, so Portland is 5th and Dallas is 6th. Both teams are 1 game ahead of the 7th seeded Lakers.
2nd Half
A dominant 2nd half from Memphis gave them another win, their 3rd in a row. 7 guys in double-figures as they have been picking things up here lately.
The Grizzlies are 9th, 0.5 a game behind Golden State for 8th in the West.
Orlando Magic vs Milwaukee Bucks (102-114)
Orlando Magic
Tanking.
It’s The Magic
No more needs to be said. The Bucks are 1 game behind the Nets, as they currently sit at 3rd in the East.
Phoenix Suns vs Golden State Warriors (116-122)
Phoenix Suns
{Choking Noises} The Suns had their gameplan, anybody but Steph Curry. It worked, Curry was ice cold. But 38 from Wiggins and 20 from Poole was unexpected as Phoenix’s offense shut down in the 4th, crumbling in the pressure. Bad loss for sure as they have lost their last two games, now 2 games behind Utah for the #1 seed in the West.
4th Quarter Magic
I don’t know how the Warriors won this game, they shouldn’t have. Curry was 2/8 from the field in the first half as Phoenix harassed the 2x MVP all-game. 21 from Wiggins in the first half kept Golden State in the game but the Warriors trailed for a majority of the first half. The offense got going in the 3rd but the Suns had an answer for every Warriors run. Then came the 4th.
The Suns kept doubling Curry and made others make shots. And they did. Wiggins was 5/7 from the field in the 4th, Jordan Poole hit two 3’s. The Warriors got their role players to step up and win a big game.
38 points for Wiggins on 17/24 shooting, as he was getting to the rim and just hitting shots from everywhere inside the arc. 20 from Poole off the bench as even with Curry shooting just 32% from the field, the Warriors beat the 2nd best in the West. The Warriors still sit at 8th, 0.5 a game in front of the Grizzlies.
OKC Thunder vs Sacramento Kings (106-122)
OKC Thunder
Tanking
Winning
The Kings have finished the year strong despite dealing with injuries to key players. Too bad Luke Walton is the coach.
New York Knicks vs LA Lakers (99-101/OT)
Timeouts
This game was back and forth, 20 lead changes and 10 ties. Both offenses were sluggish as this was a battle of defense. The Knicks had the lead late but failed to box out and Wesley Matthews tied the game with a tip-in. Julius Randle missed and we headed to OT. The Knicks couldn’t make anything when all of a sudden they hit back-to-back 3’s for the lead. D-Rose got a steal but then the Knicks had to use their last timeout. They then turned it over and THT hit his 2nd 3 of the OT. Now because they used that timeout after the D-Rose steal, they didn’t have any play for the last 20 seconds. RJ Barrett chucked up a prayer and the Knicks lost. Poor game management.
Randle had 31-8-5 although I don’t get why to end the game in regulation they ran like 4 straight iso plays for Randle, against AD. Randle didn’t score a single time, by the way. 27 for D-Rose off the bench but Barrett was 2/13 and the Knicks best offense was either from the free throw line (21/23), or off of LA turnovers, where they had 19 points off turnovers.
Like I said, this team is going to be boom or bust, depending on how good their offense is. They’re going to need Burks and Quickley for the postseason but if they can’t score, they’re not going anywhere. With the loss, the Knicks are now in a three-way tie with the Hawks and Heat. Here are the standings;
4. Hawks – 38-31
5. Heat – 38-31
6. Knicks – 38-31
This three-way race is going to come down to the wire, but the Knicks don’t have either tie-breaker, which is a big deal.
Another Big Win
It doesn’t have to be pretty, but these last two Laker wins have been huge. Their defense in this game was great, holding down RJ Barrett and making D-Rose and Randle essentially be the entire offense. AD clamped Randle down the stretch of this game and Matthews forced OT with a great tip-in. LA controlled the start of OT, with scoring and stops. But back-to-back Knicks 3’s and a D-Rose steal put LA in jeopardy of losing. But they got Randle to turn it over and THT hit his 2nd 3 of the OT, giving LA the lead for good.
23 for Kuzma off the bench, although 18 of those came in the first half. 20 for AD whos biggest impact was defensively, where he did a great job on Randle. 16 points and 18 rebounds for Drummond and 13 for THT off the bench who was the hero. The Lakers are still in the play-in but they are surviving. Lebron should be back very soon just in time for the play-in as LA isn’t finished. Schroder also might come back. It’s going to be a squeeze, but it’s not impossible that LA survives this.
LA is 7th, 1 game behind the 6th seeded Mavs. Dallas and Portland are tied but Portland is 5th because they have the tie-breaker.
What Are Your Thoughts From The 11 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram To Never Miss A Post: @hoopnotions
